Ma Laoban came to our place to pick us up shortly after midday. We stopped at a new big hotel and we picked up police mate, who was looking decidedly the worse for wear. We then drove a little while outside Pingguo to a reservoir where we saw people swimming. Ma Laoban said we'd go swimming first but it happened to be a joke. Not an obvious one as I've been in similar situations where we really have (and I've not had trunks). There were a few people sitting by a table in the shade, and it became apparent they were from Bangxu and we were to eat with them.
Police mate sat in a deckchair and fell asleep until the food was served, but even then looked like a man more hungover than awake and although he was poured a beer none met his lips. He only managed a mouthful of food before going back to sleep again. I didn't want beer either but when one of the ladies offered to gan bei I realised it would be rude not to. Luckily it was of the 2.5% variety so I wasn't too worried. I managed to get the kids to eat some yumizhou so at least they weren't hungry and I had some of the local duck. The women were rather made up for what was otherwise a very informal outside meal in the humid heat - it was almost Sunday church attire. A few more beers later we went back but police mate was still not in great shape.
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| Some Bangxu ladies at the meal by the reservoir |
Tan was back so I dropped off the kids with her at A Xia's and went to find a massage. Not because I really needed one but because I could and they are nice. Plus I planned on having forty winks as I hadn't planned on having beers. I found a place opposite A Hua's place, where Tan had warned me a few years ago I shouldn't go as there were prostitutes. It looked too unseedy for that, so I thought I'd take a chance. I asked if they did massages and of course they did, so was taken upstairs by a woman in a pink jumpsuit. I was brought into a small room where there was already a bloke lying down on his front with his trousers around his ankles and two sucker pump things on his buttocks. I hadn't bargained for this and was a little nervous, but at least I'd confirmed it wasn't a den of the sort of eniquity that Tan had warned of.
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| Horrible electric suction pads |
But neither was it a massage that I was hankering after. I just wanted something that felt nice - I didn't care about how good it was for you. I idiotically told the woman that my back was in pain, in order to justify the massage in some absurdly English way, as if I couldn't have had one if it wasn't in pain. So she turned on some horrid sucking machine attached to some suckers that she attached to various parts of my back for a minute or so at a time. It hurt, but I'd made a rod for my own back in a semi literal way, and was now paying for it. Not only did it last over an hour, it was 130 kuai too, and I left hearing the woman get me to promise I'd call her before I come next time. I agreed, but it wasn't a total lie as there won't be a next time. Next time I'll be honest and just ask for a massage by someone's hands. 130 kuai for a machine massage indeed. And no chance for any shuteye either.
Blood sucker
Tan called to say her ex-teacher had invited us to eat just outside Pingguo, and that we'd have to get a taxi there, but when I got to A Xia's she said someone would be picking us up. I don't mind this information, but it does make me take every word uttered with a pinch of salt, and it can be rather annoying. Most annoying is when you're told that so-and-so has invited you for a meal tomorrow evening, so when other people call you you say you're not free. Then, as if the most normal thing in the world, you're told you're not going now, or it's the next day, or it's somebody else inviting you. The only thing you can mostly trust is when someone arranges something for the actual day it is, which was the case today.
A bloke arrived around 5.30 to pick us up. Tan had asked me to save one of the duty-free bottles so I'd taken a whisky with me. We drove for 10 minutes and arrived at a rather picturesque setting with a pond, which was also deserted. The kids and I looked around for a bit to see our surroundings, while the driver found a room and turned on the air-con. 10 minutes later the teacher turned up with his wife and kid and apologies for being late. He gratefully received the red bag containing the whisky, but neglected to look inside (I wasn't too annoyed as it was quite cheap standard Famous Grouse or similar). Food and drink were ordered. I was in a funny situation where I didn't particularly want to drink, but teacher clearly did as he opend a bottle of bai jiu. Of course it would have been rude not to join him in at least some beer, and Tan understood this - I did make an effort to show it was 2.5% though. The food was plentiful and excellent, and the teacher good company, despite getting rather drunk after his third glass of 53% booze. He started going on about how his wife was a goddess, and stood by him while he changed his business etc.
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| Pretty place outside Pingguo where we ate |
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| Tan, teacher, teacher's wife, some woman who drank beer |
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| The kids with teacher's daughter and woman's daughter |
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| Me with teacher and driver |
A few photos were taken for good measure, and a woman joined us, and then the boss of the place. These two did share in the beer so at least I had someone else to gan bei with. Li Kun had been pinging me on WeChat to go and drink tea, and I'd kept responding that I'd hopefully have time after the meal. However, it was gone half eight before we finished and too late for tea. Instead, I took the kids to A Ni's for some juice. Lin Hong came to take the kids to the guangchang and A Ni grabbed me to go upstairs where there were at least half a dozen ladies in various states of intoxication. I just wasn't in the mood at all but performed a few gan beis before excusing myself using the kids' shower requirements when they got back as justification. I left to the order of coming back in a few minutes but I didn't want to and Tan certainly didn't want me to either, and got a reasonably earlyish night.
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